People not committing crimes fuel Memphis ICE arrest surge
by Michael Finch II
October 3, 2025
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested at least 400 people in the first seven months of the year, compared to 320 during the same period last year a 25% increase, according to the data, which was provided by ICE in response to a FOIA lawsuit to Deportation Data Project. The vast majority of the people apprehended are men who hail from Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua ...
At least one out of every three people picked up by ICE was being held on suspicion of committing a crime, meaning they had been arrested but not yet convicted of the crime. Several law enforcement agencies throughout west Tennessee and north Mississippi participate in ICEs Criminal Alien Program, an initiative that allows the agency to be notified when an undocumented immigrant is housed in local, state and federal lockups ...
The wave of arrests began in the early days of Trumps second term as he sought to fulfill a campaign pledge to carry out mass deportations. The administration quickly reversed policies that made it difficult for agents to apprehend people in so-called sensitive areas, like schools and churches, and courthouse arrests resumed ...
Bailing an undocumented person out of jail is more challenging and in some cases not possible, as ICE requests more people held, Oceja said. At least one third of the arrests made this year in Memphis and surrounding areas was made through detainer requests, the ICE data showed ...
https://mlk50.com/2025/10/03/surge-in-ice-arrests-around-memphis-fueled-by-people-who-havent-committed-any-crimes/